Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure invention is directed to a method and apparatus for replacement of displays shield/glass on devices such as mobile phones.
Description of the Related Art
The proliferation of devices with display screens, particularly small mobile devices, such as smart phones, means that there are large numbers of expensive mobile devices subject to harsh conditions. Typically, the most vulnerable portion of such devices is the display screen which is often made of a hardened glass such as Gorilla® glass from Corning, Inc. Regardless of how strong the glass is made, some of them will inevitably be broken, cracked or scratched to the point where the device is useless unless the glass is replaced.
The cost of glass replacement has been prohibitive relative to the cost of the device, because even though expensive, improvements on such devices, limits the realistic investment on repair.
The solution is to make the cost of repair/replacement of the glass sufficiently competitive to make it practical to repair rather than replace the device.
The problem has been that most display screens are a composite of glass (upper layer), a bonding layer, which may include a polarizer and then the electronic display component. Separation of the broken/damaged glass from the display unit without destroying the display component has been largely impossible. If the repair of the glass includes complete replacement of the display unit, then entire task is typically cost prohibitive. Even warranty service by the manufacturer is financially impaired by the cost of repair.
Thus a method and apparatus is needed which can efficiently replace the glass but not require replacement of the electronic display unit.
The present disclosure addresses both of these problems with an innovative solution.